For over 50 years KV Sint-Gillis is playing the little game of football. But even though they always stayed a lower league team, they have had quite some changes over the decades. There was a change in matricule numbers, there were mergers left and right and quite some nostalgic moments in the lower league divisions. But at the end of this season this will come to an end.
Very briefly, between 1937 and 1941, there was an FC Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde (because we are talking about Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde and not the Sint-Gillis in Brussels). Afterwards the locals didn't have to wait for long to have their own team again. In 1945 FC Victoria Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde was created. Five years later the name was changed into FC Eendracht Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde. The team would start in the lower leagues and would eventually stay there as well.
In 1997 the club became royal and six years after that, Eendracht would form a new team after a merger with Verbroedering Boonwijk Lutterzele. That latter was a merger between Racing Boonwijk and FC Lutterzele. Racing Boonwijk already started in 1933 but they would become a member of the Flemish FA. Until they stopped activities in 1940. In 1947 the team was re-founded and this time they joined the Belgian FA. Just like Eendracht they would stay in the lower leagues. In 1999 they merged with Football Club Lutterzele, a team which was created in 1978.
As of 2003, these three clubs would be known as Koninklijke Voetbalclubs Sint-Gillis. But in 2017 another remarkable point in their history happened. That's the year they bought another matricule number (4262) and that one has an interesting history as well. To tell that tale we'd have to go back to 1927 when Voetbalvereeniging Volharden Aalst was founded. In 1941 they had to cease activities, but that wouldn't take long either. In 1945 they started again as Voetbal Ontspanning Volharden Aalst. For 22 years they enjoyed the lower leagues until they merged.
That merger took place in 1967 when VOV Aalst joined forces with Ontspanningsclub Adelaars Aalst. Together they became Sportkring Aalst. Right after the start of the new millennium another merger happened. SK Aalst merged with Sporting Lebeke (pretty young team as they started in 1981) and as SK Lebeke-Aalst they even managed to reach the national divisions. By 2007 they relegated back to the regional leagues though. Their ladies team would have more success as the became national champion once. In 2017 SK Lebeke-Aalst couldn't continue any longer.
SK Lebeke-Aalst wanted to see their matricule number live on and KV Sint-Gillis had ambition for the higher regional leagues. A marriage was born. SK Lebeke-Aalst disappeared completely and KV Sint-Gillis promoted to the second regional league. A division they still play in this year. But it'll be the last season as well. At the end of the season 2020-2021 KV Sint-Gillis will merge with the bigger neighbours of KAV Dendermonde. The merger was already discussed last year, but will only be final in a couple of months. Details still have to be announced, but it's safe to assume matricule number 57 will live on...
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